Station indicator



March 17, 19360 A. A. STONE STATION INDICATOR Filed Jan. 9, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventor dril zr A Siane I flm flllorney A. A. STONE March 17, 1936.

STATION INDICATOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 9, 1935 Invenior Patented Mar. 17, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE STATION INDICATOR tonna, Minn.

Application January 9, 1935, Serial No. 1,047

4 Claims.

This invention relates to an improved station indicator of a type adapted for use on railway trains, street railway cars and coaches, and similar public utility conveyances, and has specific reference to a structure designed to serve as a visible indicator for the purpose of displaying the names of streets in a successive manner to facilitate the loading and unloading of passengers.

Needless to say, I am aware of the fact that many different types and forms of indicators have been perfected to accomplish a similar result. It follows, therefore, that my primary aim is to generally improve upon these known prior art structures by providing one which, it is believed, is characterized by structural refinements and advantages such as transcend in importance and efficiency similar structural means exemplified in the aforementioned prior art, and one which affords a more simple and economical device.

Briefly, the invention may be introduced as relating to that field of invention wherein the ley'arrangement coordinated with a changeable exhibitor or indicator device having located therein a reeling and winding means so that the indicia band may be progressively turned to disclose the names of the streets in predetermined order while the car is enroute in one direction and reversed so that the names will be orderly displayed while making the return run.

Numerous other features and advantages of the invention will become more readily apparent from the following detailed description and the accompanying illustrative pictorial drawings.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the views:

:Figure l is a longitudinal sectional view showing a fragmentary portion of a street car or buss and illustrating therein the novel structure constituting the improvements hereinafter claimed.

Figure 2 is a front elevational view showing the face of the casing serving as an enclosure for the indicator band and its associated drums and reeling and winding means.

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional View, the section being on the plane of the line 33 of Figure 4.

Figure 4 is a vertical or transverse sectional and elevational View, the section being taken on the plane of the irregular line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a detail fragmentary sectional and elevational View showing the construction of one of the drums and pulley assembly.

Figure 6 is a view showing the manner in which the indicator band is attached by a key and keyway to the associated winding drum.

Referring first to the general assembly shown in Figure l of the drawings, it will be observed that the numeral 1 designates a conveyance or vehicle which may be either a street railway car, bus or the like. Attached at one end in a conveniently located place, is the visible indicator while at the opposite end is the operating means designed to be controlled by the conductor or other attendant employed for the purpose. We will consider first the indicator or changeable exhibitor means and it will be noted that this comprises a suitable casing 8 attached to one end wall of the car. The front wall or panel of the casing is provided with a sight opening having a frame containing a flat plate 9 which may be described as the window. On the interior is a base board If] and it is to this that the drums and associated mechanism are attached. I provide two drums arranged in vertically spaced superposed relationship, and the upper one is denoted by the numeral H and the lower one is distinguished by the numeral l2. Actually these drums and the mounting means therefor is virtually identical. In practice, I have found it expedient and practical to use a wooden drum I3 of the type shown in Fig. 6 and this is provided with a longitudinal groove which serves as a key-way to accommodate a bar M which functions as key to hold the adjacent end of the indicator band l5 in place and which permits the changing of indicator band when necessary. Incidentally this band has printed thereon the names of the streets or stations at which the various stops are made. These are properly spaced and printed so that they may be easily observed by the passengers of the car. As shown in Fig. 5, the drum is freely mounted for rotation on a supporting and rotating shaft 56. On the shaft is a ratchet wheel I I which functions as a clutch element and cooperating with this is a spring-pressed pivotally mounted pawl or dog I8 carried by the adjacent end of the drum. At the same end of the drum is a pulley I9 having its hub portion fastened by a set screw as at ISA to the shaft. This pulley is adapted to accommodate the adjacent run or stretch of the operating belt 20.

As shown in Fig. 4, the ends of the shaft I6 are mounted for rotation in detachable and renewable bearing rings or collars 2|, these being held by fastening screws 22 in the yoke portions 23 of the supporting brackets 24. Or stated otherwise, at each end of the drum is a bracket 24 having a yoke 23 in which the bearing 2I is removably mounted, the bearing being located to accommodate the adjacent shaft-end. These drums, as previously stated are of duplicate construction so far as the clutch means and pulley arrangement and other features are concerned. The essential difference is that the pawls I8 are reversed in order, that is, so that'while the upper drum II is being turned to wind the band I5 thereon, the lower drum I2 idles and allows the band to unwind therefrom. Then by turning the drum I2 in the opposite direction, the band I5 is moved in a reverse manner. This permits the device to function while the car is enroute to a predetermined destination to bring up the printed names of the streets before the Window 9, and it also allows the names to be displayed in a reverse manner during the return run of the car.

To explain a little more in detail how this is accomplished, it might be .pointed out that if we assume that the shaft I6 is being rotated by the belt 20 and pulley I8 in one direction, that is say counter clockwise, this causes the ratchet wheel I! on the adjacent drum I2 to push against the pawl or dog I8 and turn the drum through the instrumentality of this pawl and ratchet means which is in a sense a clutch device. At this time, the pawl on the upper drum II merely ratchets over the ratchet teeth allowing said drum II to have the desired idling movement at this time. The reverse of this is true when the pulley I8 on the upper drum structure is turned by the belt belt 20 in a reverse direction.

Looking now at the opposite end of the structure shown at the left of Fig. 1, it will be observed that the hand turned crank 21 keyed on the pulley 26 actuates the rotary belt 20 and operates the mechanism. The hand turned crank 21 and pulley 26 are located at a proper elevation so that the crank can be conveniently grasped and operated by theconductor. The aforesaid belt is trained over this pulley as well as over other guiding pulleys 28. Incidentally, it will be noted that the front panel of the body portion of the casing 8 is hinged at 29, thereby affording opportunity to expose the mechanism on the interior to allow for the changing of the indicating means or the making of adjustments and repairs, etc.

Referring again to Figure 4, I might call attention to the numeral 3| which designates a substantially U-shaped metal strap, the free ends of the resilient arms of which are bent into arcuate form as at 32 to serve as brake shoes and these brake shoes ride on the pulley end of the drums as seen in Fig. 3. This controls the rotation of the drums by placing them under slight frictional restraint.

Novelty is thought to reside in the cooperation of the base board or panel I 0 serving as a mounting. for the shell portion of the casing 8, said casing having a window 9 and serving as an enclosure for the brackets and associated details on the interior of the casing. Each drum assembly comprises a pair of brackets 24 terminating the yokes 23 carrying the removable bearing collars 2| to accommodate the ends of the shaft I6. The wooden drum is freely mounted for rotation on the shaft, the ratchet wheel I1 and the pulley I8 being at the same end. This arrangement permits the removal of both drums and the indicator band simultaneously for changing to another assembly. It also permits two-way ratchet action enabling the direction of movement of the indicator band I5 to be accurately controlled according to the movement of the car. It may be further emphasized that the manuallyregulated means 26 and 21 at the left hand end of thecar is important in that it is a simple and economical assemblage of parts so made as to allow the movement of the belt 20 to be controlled so that the band I5 can be adjusted in a predetermined manner for the convenience of the passengers, irrespective of the direction of movement of the car.

It is thought that persons skilled in the art to which the invention relates will be able to obtain a clear understanding of the invention after considering the description in connection with the drawings. Therefore, a more lengthy description is regarded as unnecessary.

Minor changes in shape, size and rearrangement of details coming within the field of invention claimed may be resorted to in actual practice, if desired.

I claim:

. 1. Ina station indicator structure of the class described, a casing, bearing-equipped brackets mounted on the interior of said casing, upper and lower shafts mounted for rotation in the bearings, a drum mounted for idling movement on each shaft, an operating pulley carried by each of said shafts, a ratchet wheel carried by each of the shafts, a spring-pressed pivotally mounted .pawl carried on one end of each drum and cooperable with the teeth of the ratchet wheel on its shaft, an indicator band mounted for winding and reeling on said drums, said band being con.- fined within the limits of the casing, and the front wall of the casing being provided with a window through which the designations on said band may be conveniently visualized by the passengers of the car.

2. In a station indicator of the class described, a casing upper and lower pairs of supporting brackets mounted in said casing, upper and lower drums mounted for rotation on shafts in said brackets, an indicator band mounted for winding and. reeling on the drums, said casing having a window through which the inscriptions on the band may be visualized, manually-controlled belt-equipped pulleys carried by each shaft, and clutch means cooperable with each drum and its shafts, the clutch means being such that the band may be positively rotated or moved in one direction while the car is enroute to its destination and then immediately reversed and moved in the opposite direction in a progressive manner while the car travels back over the same route.

3. In a structure of the class described, a panel, a pair of brackets attached to said panel and located in longitudinally spaced cooperating relationship, said brackets being provided at their outer ends with yokes, bearing collars removably mounted in the yokes, a shaft having its end portions mounted for rotation in said bearings, a wooden roller or drum mounted for free rotation on the shaft, a spring-pressed pawl carried by one end of the drum, a ratchet mounted on the shaft adjacent said pawl, said pawl being engageable with the teeth of the ratchet so that when the ratchet is turned in a predetermined direction it will couple the drums to the shafts to turn with said shafts, and a pulley carried by the shaft for rotating it.

4. In an indicator of the class described, a supporting base, a casing enclosing the base and serving as a. mechanism housing, pairs of upper and lower brackets attached to said base, said brackets being provided with bearings, upper and lower shafts mounted for rotation in said bearings, upper and lower independable rotatable drums on the shafts, an indicator band wound on said drums, each drum being provided at one end with a spring-pressed pawl, the shaft in each instant being provided at a corresponding end with a keyed ratchet wheel with which the pawl is cooperable, said casing having a window and said band being located for cooperation with said 10 

